Stanford women's basketball falls short against Cal in first ever ACC tilt

A loss means the Cardinal will now have to really lock in if they want to make noise in the conference, but with what this team has down in the past, it is never wi

Mar 29, 2024; Portland, OR, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Brooke Demetre (21) battle for control of the ball against NC State Wolfpack guard Zoe Brooks (35) during the second half in the semifinals of the Portland Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Moda Center at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Coming in determined to make some noise in their first ever matchup as a member of the ACC, the Stanford Cardinal hit the road and traveled to Berkeley to face a familiar rival in the Cal Golden Bears. However, their quest to start off their era in the ACC on a high note did not go as planned as the Cardinal fell 83-63 to Cal, dropping to 7-3 on the season and 0-1 in the ACC.

It was a rough shooting night for the Cardinal, who despite getting 18 points from Brooke Demetre and 13 points from Nunu Agara, only shot 33% from the field and never once led in the game, despite plenty of times of getting within striking distance of taking a lead.

The Golden Bears (10-1, 1-0 ACC) hit 18 three pointers, which is the most that Stanford has given up in about 20 years. Losing only their 22nd ever matchup to Cal in 103 total meetings, it was the largest margin of defeat that Stanford endured against them since 1982 when they lost 96-65.

However, three point shooting was actually very strong for the Cardinal, who managed to shoot about 52% from behind the arc, with Demetre responsible for four of them. Overall, the Cardinal were able to shoot 9-for-17 from three point range. 

At the half, the Cardinal were down 33-24 but after Cal started the second half on a 17-4 run, they soon saw themselves in a much deeper hole, and were forced to really lock in. The Bears began the third quarter having made six of their first eight shots that included five three pointers, with Golden Bears star Marta Suarez making a deep shot to end the quarter with Stanford down 63-40.

In the third quarter, Stanford shot about 43% from the field and made all of its threes, but the defense was unable to contain Cal’s 55% from the field and 57% from three. While outscoring Cal 23-20 in the fourth quarter, it was too late as the Golden Bears already had too big of a lead. 

Now needing to regroup, the Cardinal will return to action on Monday, Dec. 16 with a home matchup against UTSA. Tipoff is slated for noon and will air on ACC Network Extra.